


I'm Not A Hero, Charlie Brown

by GE72



Category: Peanuts
Genre: First Person, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-13 12:27:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11759871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GE72/pseuds/GE72
Summary: Joe Shlabotnik meets up with his biggest fan.





	I'm Not A Hero, Charlie Brown

Hi there….oh it’s you. Charlie Brown, right? Of course.

Good to see you again. When was the last time we met? Oh, at that card show in San Rafael at the Marin Civic Center. You were the only one at my table. Come to think of it, you were the only one to come to my table. Looks that way today again, too.

Look, kid, I know you think the world of me, but its time you face the truth. You know I’m not playing anymore. Well, that’s because no club wants me in their organization. I’ve been at the dance too long. I’m hanging my spikes up for good.

No, they don’t even want me as a coach. No one wants me near their organization. Heck, they don’t even want me in the state of Arizona during spring training. The baseball scout who signed me up, he’s out of the game too. Some people say he got blackballed because of me.

I used to be a good player, you know. I played pretty good over at Santa Rosa High. I know the Panthers didn’t do so well when I was there – three years and we only won twelve games in that span – but I gave it my best every day. The year after I graduated, Santa Rosa won fourteen games and made the section playoffs.

But I don’t know what happened. I got my first Major League contract and it all seemed fine. I did my time in the minors in San Jose and Fresno, and then the Giants called me up. I went 0-fer my first game in the bigs and it went all downhill after that.

I keep trying to recall what I did or what happened. Did I cross the path of a black cat? Did I break a mirror? Did I make someone mad and just forget about it? You know, someone once told me that they saw me shake hands with some player with another team after a game. He said the guy was the worst player in all the majors, and somehow he passed this curse on to me. I tried to recall who it was – Bobby Ayala, Eric Young, Terry Felton – who knows? I know baseball is a superstitious sport, but even I think that’s kind of out there.

Look, Charlie Brown, I know you’re my biggest fan, but look at me. I’m a bum. Yes, I am. I’m not a hero. My brother, he’s a hero. He joined the Army out of high school, went overseas. My father was proud of him. Grandfather too. You know he got out of eastern Europe in the sixties. My grandfather saw my first game with the Giants. It was the only time he saw me play. He also got Jeff Kent’s autograph that day.

I know you play baseball, too. You love it, too. That’s great. My time in the game is up. Yours is just beginning. Besides, there are other players in the game who deserve your time more than I do. You identify with me? Why? You understand what I went through? Uh, don’t take this the wrong way, but the team that you play for, how bad are they? You’d rather not say. That I understand.

Here. My baseball card. One of the few in existence. A few years back, someone called for my baseball cards to destroyed. I don’t know, someone named Van Pelt. Oh, you know him. Oh, her? Wait, this Van Pelt, does he drag a blanket around? Yeah, I’ve seen him around town. And the sister? You wouldn’t put it past her for calling for that. I’ll keep that in mind.

Well, nice talking to you Charlie Brown. I hope your baseball playing days are better than mine. No, I better not shake your hand. I might pass that curse on…..


End file.
